Joy without Pain?

"In true community, we do not seek to eliminate pain, but to deepen it to a level where we all become one.  So we become a community where we know how to share in each other's suffering and pain... and joy.  But there is no sharing of true joy without sharing the pain."  I heard this statement in a devotion given by Dr. Norman Neaves.  When I heard this, we were on our way to visit Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany.  Norman presented us with a wonderful devotion each morning of our week-long travels through the beautiful countryside of Germany and Austria.  But this morning felt a little different than the others.

Norman began telling us about his own spiritual journey as a young boy.  He talked about the first time he, as a Methodist, stepped into a Catholic church.  He noticed that they too had a cross hanging in their church, but on that cross was the body of Jesus, hanging lifeless, covered in blood and bruises.  He was so moved by what he saw, that he knelt down in the church and began to weep.

Jesus suffered incredible pain and torture... and eventually death on the cross... so that we ALL can have everlasting life.  Not only that, but he is here with us today, suffering right along side us, feeling our pain and struggles and never leaving our side.  Wow.  That is a love like no other.

Memorial at Dachau Concentration Camp (Germany)

What if we were to love our neighbor like Jesus loves us?  What if we felt our neighbor's pain and struggles and never left his side?  That is true community.  That is loving as Jesus first loved us.  And that is where true joy comes from.

What about you?  Do you love your neighbor as Jesus loves you?  Or do you allow religion or culture to stand in your way?